But for those filmgoers who sought out the movie in the tragically too-few theaters in which it played, there was a remarkable performance by underrated character-actor Johnny Depp to be witnessed, as well as a fun, visually-stunning thrill-ride across the pirate-ridden high-seas.

Sam Neill is charming in the title role, Billie Whitelaw is heat-warming, Isabella Rossellini is radiant, Rutgar Hauer is delightfully goofy, Martin Shot tolerable, Lena Heady is gorgeous and Helena Bonham Carter is nicely subdued and vulnerable; but the star of the show, for my money, is British chameleon character-actor Miranda Richardson.